Airport Time capsul or Linksys wrt1900 + external HDD?

I Need to get a new wifi and also back up device. I currently have the old flat airport time capsule. I live in a 3 story house made from steel frame. So my wifi is not strong at all. I also use a small express to extend the wifi. But still bad.
I Have been reading about the below wifi router and they say it is quite powerful and even good for multiple story homes.
Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Smart Wi-Fi Wireless AC Router (2.4 + 5GHz)
IF I got this and an external HDD the cost is about the same. Anyone have any experience with linksys? I would prefer the apple one but I just want to improve my wifi throughout the house.
CHeers
Bryce

I would spend a bit of time in the charts and actual reviews here.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/111-2_4-ghz-dn-c?see=P_D
There is a lot of info which you can get the charts to show you.. various location.. different bands etc.
However the tests are done on PC clients and PC wireless cards.. and you are not going to get the same results in Apple products..
As with most of these things.. wireless promises much but delivery is always less than expectation.
I would doubt any single wireless router can cover adequately a 3 storey house.
I can also tell you support for Time Machine will be sorely lacking even if it is listed.. these routers cannot format the disk HFS+, so they will be different and no where near reliable for TM.
It is much better to plan on running an ethernet connection between the 3 floors in some central location if that is at all possible.. and to run 3x wireless AP around the house.. if that is not possible then proper wireless mesh gear will perform much better than domestic stuff.. so look at ubiquiti unifi etc.
Linksys new products since being sold by Cisco and taken over by Belkin have been a disappointment.
Asus has tended to be the preferred units.. and do seem to work well with apple devices.

Similar Messages

How do I use my airport time capsule extreme as a external hard drive

How do I access files and save files to my airport time capsule like its an external HD. How do I access the external HD that is connected to the time capsule?Ai

The TC is no different to any other network drive... you mount the drive and copy the files to it.. or copy files from it.
Same with USB drive plugged into the TC.
BUT.. TC is not suitable for live files.. ie files you are actively editing and working on. It is storage.. not working disk space.. and the USB drive more so.. it is slow.. much slower than same USB plugged into the computer by at least half.
And USB 2 wasn't that quick to begin with. The TC itself is slow.. although over wireless it is actually wireless that is the hold up.
Here is what I normally say for this question. It is asked every day.. often several times.
Store files on the TC.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/24380694#24380694
This is asked several times a day.. obviously people are struggling with their latest SSD being too small.
The TC is not suitable for network file server.. but many people having no choice press it into service as such.
It cannot be partitioned. It was and is and ever shall be a backup device for Time Machine.
Major issues.
1. No backup.. no way Time Machine can backup a network drive. No place to backup to.. So all your files will be at risk. And you will need to buy a third party like CCC to do backup. You will also need a USB drive somewhere else in the network to act as target for backups.. and if you use the TC itself over wireless you will experience a new definition of pain and suffering.. slow.. extremely slow..
(cf Belly of the sarlacc http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sarlacc)
2. The TC cannot be partitioned and mixing TM backups and data is not great.
3. The drive is slow to spin up and quick to spin down.. there is no controls.
4. iPhoto in particular can easily corrupt its entire library with wireless networking causing a disconnection to one photo. Even if you do this;;; do not move your photo library... you have been warned!!
5. iTunes will constantly lose connection to the library. The disk is too slow to respond.. itunes on the computer will constantly spit out errors. Even in the midst of streaming the TC can spin down the disk due to caching.
6. Do not use any live files on the TC no matter what else you do.. if you edit files in whatever program the file must be on the local hard disk.
7. The only suitable location for most libraries is a computer. You can plug in an external hard disk.
Read pondini for some work arounds.
Q3 here. http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html

How to use AirPort Time Capsule 2TB as an external storage hard drive only?

I have a new AirPort Time Capsule 3TB, now I want to use my AirPort Time Capsule 2TB as an external storage hard drive only, how do I it?
I would like to connect the AirPort Time Capsule 2TB directly to my Mac Pro. using OS X 10.7.5.
I have erase disk and reset the 2TB to factory default, after that, I cannot make it to connect to my Mac. Please help.

The 2TB Time Capsule needs to connect to your 3TB Time Capsule using a wired Ethernet connection.
Connect from a LAN <--> port on the 3 TB Time Capsule to the WAN "O" port on the 2 TB Time Capsule and configure the 2TB Time Capsule in Bridge Mode and turn off the wireless function on the device as well.
Once that is done, you can connect your Mac directly to the 2TB Time Capsule using another Ethernet cable, or your Mac can connect to the network using the normal wireless network, if you prefer.

AirPort Time Capsule back up of external drive using Time Machine

I have a Mac mini and back it up using time machine onto the AirPort Time Capsule- that works fine. I need to back up an external USB drive containing my iTunes to the AirPort using time machine. How can I do this?

Connect the drive to the Mac mini, open the Time Machine pane of System Preferences, and remove it from the list of drives set to be excluded. It needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
(102795)

How to setup wireless time capsule with 3rd party external HDD and router?

Topic says it all really...
I've got a linksys router and an iomega external hard drive.
I want to have wireless time capsule setup but i don't really wanna shell out for an apple time capsule when I have a perfectly working router and hard drive...
Can it be done? would I be better off buying an airport express/extreme?
cheers

Welcome, jackbyo!
I've got a linksys router
Good product
iomega external hard drive.
1) The drive must be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to work with Time Machine.
2) The drive will need to be connected directly to your Mac via USB or FireWire connection.
Can it be done?
As above
would I be better off buying an airport express/extreme
The AirPort Express will not support a hard drive.
Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme are not supported by Apple due to corruption issues.

Time Capsule as storage and External HDD as backup

Hi folks. I looked around for quite a while trying to find an answer and not duplicate threads but didn't quite find what I was looking for. I've currently got an Airport Extreme and LaCie Rugged 500GB HDD for backups. My Macbook Pro HDD (250GB) is getting full so I'm thinking through best next steps. This is my current thinking:
Replace Airport Extreme with 2 TB Time Capsule to be used as storage
Continue to use Rugged 500GB HD as location for storing backups
Essentially use the TC as a NAS media server (which I understand is controversial) but to get around the whole not storing data on the same source as backups I would use a smaller drive for backups.
I have no idea about speeds though. Also we have very modest media demands. We have about 75GB in music, 40GB in photos and don't store any movies on our machine. We don't have apple TV or anything like that although I would be interested in streaming the music to the stereo somehow.
So would this work?
Thanks!

You can do a USB hub and multiple USB drives.. they don't always co-operate but that is all part of the fun..
TM cannot backup network drives.. doesn't matter if it is wireless or ethernet.. no direct contact no backup.. strangely it can backup to the network drive.
Of course there are other backup software.. maybe even better than TM.. like CCC which is not expensive and works well.. but you will learn a new meaning of the words slow.. pain and suffering while you are digested over a 1000years in the belly of Sarlacc will be nothing compared to this backup. Especially over wireless as all packets are dragged off the first USB disk.. over the wireless network to the computer.. then back over the wireless network to the AE and then the next USB drive.
See for comparison the sarlacc.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sarlacc
Sorry you kind of have to be a fan.

Can I make my airport time capsule into ONLY a external hard drive?

I currently live in Japan and we recently bought a wireless plan through a Japanese company which provides their own modem. You basically connect this modem into the power and WHALA instant internet. It does not allow me to use my airport as router, but I still need to back up all my info since i only have a mini mac which hardly has space, into my time capsule. I really want to keep my time capsule because eventually we will move back to the states and I know i'm going to be right back on it.

As long as the router has ethernet ports you are fine.
Plug the TC WAN port into the router and set the TC to bridge mode .. all will be good.
On the other hand if the ISP has provided you a wireless only device you will find it very hard to setup the TC. It cannot readily join a foreign router (non-apple that is).
In this case, plug the TC directly into your mini by ethernet. And then use it without wireless. (keep the wireless for your internet connection). You might need to do a bit of fiddling .. I can give more details on how to do this setup. But I must say for now it is probably easier to put the TC away and just buy a USB drive. Faster, and much more reliable using a directly connected drive.. especially if the Mini is 2012 model with USB3 ports. But even USB2 is faster than TC.

HT201250 What if Time Machine can't find my airport time capsule?

I can't find my airport time capsule on my computer... I need help in order to reach documents saved on my airport time capsule used as an external hard drive... Please help!

Is it listed in the sidebar of a Finder window, under SHARED?

Can I create separate folders to save media on my Airport Time Capsule? Issue is I have a 256GB HDD Mac Pro Retina which is almost full. TC will only take backup of my HDD. So where would I save my photos and videos from my iPhone and iPad?

Can I create separate folders to save media on my Airport Time Capsule? Issue is I have a 256GB HDD Mac Pro Retina which is almost full. TC will only take backup of my HDD. So where would I save my photos and videos from my iPhone and iPad?

It is a hard one.. laptops with small drives are a pain.
What you need is a home media server.
Some people use a PC running itunes for cost.. but that is nothing like as good as using a Mac mini.. they make great little HTPC device.. you can plug in large hard disks and store all your files and media. And share it with the network.. Read up apple's instructions on home sharing.
https://www.apple.com/au/support/homesharing/
For cost you can buy a mini from 2011 or 2012.. I would not recommend earlier ones.. the advantage of 2012 is they have USB3 ports. But you will pay more for them.. new mini is not as useful.. they have soldered in memory and you cannot upgrade.. the old mini was the most easily modified mac in the whole range. Uses little power and can be bought for a $300US for a good one second hand.. maybe less.

Is there a way to use spare space on Airport Time Capsule as normal external hard drive?

A friend uses a hard drive with Time Machine for backup, but also has need for an external hard drive to hold a large number of photos that are filling up her computer's hard drive. Hers isn't an Airport Time Capsule but I have one that is. So that raised a two part question:
1. Can her external drive used with Time Machine somehow also be used to store many of her photos (sort of a second iPhoto library) to let her to offload them?
2. Can an Airport Time Capsule be used that way? (Mine is 2 TB but my hard drive is 500 GB.)
Just curious. Thanks.

Can her external drive used with Time Machine somehow also be used to store many of her photos (sort of a second iPhoto library) to let her to offload them?
Not sure if I understand.
To keep things simple, let's just say she has an image library on her Mac it might be iPhoto or another library.
Time Machine is backing up the image library to the external hard drive. So, the "original" version of the image library is on her Mac, and Time Machine is making a backup copy on the external hard drive.
If you move the image library to the external drive....Time Machine has nothing to back up....and the only copy of the image library will be on the external hard drive.
If the external drive has a problem.....she has lost all of her images since there are no other copies of the image library on another drive.
Is this what you are asking about? Do you see the danger here?
Can an Airport Time Capsule be used that way? (Mine is 2 TB but my hard drive is 500 GB.)
Yes it could, but the same dangers would apply.
Or, maybe I am not understanding what you are asking?

How do I make airport time capsule work with Linksys cisco router?

Hi all.
I bought an airport time capsule 3T and want to connect it to the internet, using a macbook with OS X 10.9.2. Currently I am using a Linksys Cisco router model WAG54G2.
I followed the steps of the setup airport guide: Connected the WAN port of the airport with an ethernet port on the router, plugged in the power cable, filled in the internet username and password. In Airport Utility I can see the airport and the internet icon, both with green dots most of the time. But it seems to disconnect every minute or so, green dots turning orange and the status light on the airport flashing orange. The internet light on the linksys also goes on and off. When the internet is on, it is quite slow.
Advice is welcome!
Kees

No guarantees here. AirPort Utility 6.3.1 is a big drop down from the 5.x versions in Leopard and Snow Leopard.
Hold in the reset button on the back of the Time Capsule for 9-10 seconds and release
Allow a full minute for the TC to restart to a slow, blinking amber light
Click the AirPort icon at the top of the screen and wait a few seconds for a listing of New AirPort Base Station to appear. Just below that, click on Time Capsule.
The example below shows an AirPort Express. You will see Time Capsule.
As soon as you click on the Time Capsule, AirPort Setup will open up automatically and take a minute to analyze the network....and probably suggest that the Time Capule will be configured to "extend"....which is wrong.
Click the Other Options button at the lower left
Click Add to an existing network
Next to Connect To.....select the wireless network name from the drop down list....if it appears. Otherwise type in the exact name of the wireless network.
Click Next
Confirm any settings again and wait to see if AirPort Utility 6.3.1 will allow the Time Capsule to join the wireless network.
You have about a 1 in 5 chance that this will occur.
Post back on your results.

How can i use the airport time capsule as a external hard drive?

how can i use the airport time capsule as a external hard drive?

Why do you recommend not place things like iTunes libraries or photo libraries on the drive? It was what I am looking for...
I suggest that you ask the experts over in the iPhoto Support Community about their opinions on placing an iPhoto or Aperture library on the Time Capsule....even if you plan to use a wired connection for your Mac and the Time Capsule.
But, if Terrence Devlin answers, be prepared for a lecture about why you should not ever do this.
If you place the iTunes library on the Time Capsule, be prepared for iTunes to give you messages about not being able to find the library.
In addtion, LaPastenague has the answer for you in a nutshell......corruption problems.
Bottom line....the Time Capsule is for your backups.....not "everyday" files and especially not libraries.

How to share external USB drive connected to airport time capsule

I have a 4TB Seagate USB Hard Drive connected to my Airport Time Capsule. The Time Capsule connected to a newer iMac running Maverick.
I use the Time Capsule for Time Machines Backups and as a Router, as it was designed for.
I want to use the external Seagate drive to share content with other devices (Mac, IOS, Windows) on my home network
Problem: I cannot figure out how to SHARE the external Seagate drive so that any other devices can see it.
Steps tried: Go to System Preferences, Sharing, and I am unable to add this Seagate drive to list of sharable objects. It is grayed out.

the drive is formatted as AppleShare. Is that a potential problem?
No, that is the correct setting if you want to share out the drive.
Finally, when I run Disk Utility I don't see the Seagate drive (nor the Time Capsule) at all.
Remember that the Time Capsule is a network drive. Any other drive connected to the USB port on the Time Capsule is also a network drive.
Disk Utility cannot be used on a network drive. It only works on a drive that is directly attached to a Mac. If you need to partition the USB drive or something similar, you will need to connect it directly to your Mac for the operation.
Otherwise, everything looks correct in AirPort Utility.

External hard drive is not working on airport time capsule even after 7.7.2 firmware update.

External hard drive is not working on airport time capsule even after 7.7.2 firmware update.
I have the latest Airpor Time capsule 2gb. I specifically bought it so that I could have an external hardrive set up to wirelessly house my itunes library and movies. When i connect the drive, all i get is that the disk needs to be repaired.
the drive can works fine when connected to the macbook pro and I have run the verify and repair features in disk utility. I have also reset the airport timecapsule as well following these changes and still no change.
The 7.7.2 update says that it addressed the usb issue of not showing the drives but there are still problems as I cannot get it to appear.
Please help.
Thanks

How is the hard drive formatted?
Have you tried using a powered USB hub with the drive when it is connected to the Time Capsule?
(The USB port on the Time Capsule is borderline as far as power is concerned....you may need to use a powered hub.....even if the hard drive has its own power supply)
If the drive is formatted correctly....and....it has ample power, it will "show up" when you open AirPort Utility, click Edit, then click the Disks tab at the top of the next window.
In the example below, my Time Capsule drive is named "Backups" and another drive named "WD Drive" is connected to the USB port on the Time Capsule.
You should see the name of your Time Capsule drive (named "Data" unless you have changed the name) and the name of the USB drive if you perform the same check.
What do you see?

Is the AirPort Time Capsule only for backing up Macs or can I back up additional files from SD cards too as if it were an external hard drive?

I'm a professional photographer and I'm interested in the most recent features of the AirPort Time Capsule. I process a lot of data and much of it never hits my Mac hard drive. Currently I back up to external hard drives, but is it possible to back up files from SD cards mounted on my desktop on to the AirPort Time Capsule for instant access in the future as if the drive were an external hard drive (in addition to being a back up server)?
I appreciate input!

If your question is whether Time Machine can back up the data on the SD drives, the answer would be no.
The reason for this is that SD drives are formatted in Windows FAT16, which is not compatible with Time Machine, the backup application included with Macs.

Airport Time capsul or Linksys wrt1900 + external HDD?

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